Switching: A defensive technique that disrupts the rhythm and movement of an offense.

Teams utilize this strategy by employing similarly sized players with comparable length and frames, resulting in mitigated ball screens and player movement. Once an effective switch occurs, the offense transitions into one-on-one basketball, priming the ballhandler to create either low- or high-percentage scoring opportunities. For the offense, success occurs when the primary ballhandler jockeys the basketball, using an array of hesitation dribbles to freeze the defender and position him behind the ball. For the defense, triumph occurs when the defender uses size and quickness to take away post and paint touches, allowing the help defense to stay on shooters and eradicate the threat of 3-pointers.

In the second-round series between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz, the team that will win will do so by effectively implementing the switch defensively AND taking advantage of...